The actual song itself is available only in spoken form, as requested by Philip.

Response by John:

The last GEM you heard was called The Happy Journey. And it reminds me, in my own life – and that is what is amazing about these poems and songs by Phil – how much you can relate to yourself.

I can think of a woman I once knew from Japan. This woman traveled from Scotland to Canada to see him. I met a woman from Japan. Her name was Shigiko.

Introduction by Phil

I fell in love with what a GPS could do, the first time I saw an article about one in Popular Science. This song celebrates whoever invented them.

   The actual song itself is available only in spoken form, as requested by Philip.

For all you animal lovers, here’s a story that many people have heard of: Francis and the Wolf.

Francis was told there’s a vicious wolf out there, killing sheep, defenseless sheep, and attacking their shepherds. So he goes out into countryside, and the wolf comes up to him, and the wolf is snarling.

He lifts his cross up. The wolf kneels down, prostrates himself, and he sees the reason for the wolf doing what it was doing.

The Frozen Brook

One minute
A pure sound
A sound of
The frozen brook
Yet still there is movement
There is flow
There is activity
In a frozen state
You can see rippling’s
And reflections
Under the thick ice
What do you picture
What do you see
What do you sense
Listen
There is some loud wind
Listen
Slow down
Take a pause
To notice nature
To imagine
To Dream
Be contemplative
Ahh!!!
I could be here all day
Taking it in and letting it out
Amen

There’s a brook by the side of the road. Sometimes, on the way home, I stop here.

It only takes a minute to get out of the car, you walk out, you tip toe across the little stones that extend and rise above the brook. It’s shallow here, maybe eight inches deep.

So I picked it, and select the large rocks, and I’m standing now in the middle.

The sound is beautiful.

As I look to my right, upstream, I see a driftwood. It’s floating down right now.

I wonder what’s going through that driftwood’s mind. Aimlessly, without a care in the world, just floating.

You’re sitting in a comfortable chair, around eight P.M., and the sun is gently lowered behind a tall oak tree.

A basket of red flowered petunias grows out of an orange ceramic pot. It’s very quiet.

You have a few birds chatting high up in the apple tree to your right, and two sparrows are hopping along the grass, searching for that last evening snack.

Out of nowhere, you hear a distant rumble. It’s very faint, very subtle. Barely audible. Barely distinguishable.

I love floors that creak. There’s a power, a personality to it, as if the floor acknowledges me there, greets me, in a way. The house feels homey and lived in, in some sense imprinted.

Old houses have creaky floors and stairs, for sure. It’s not clear if it’s the personality of the people who lived there coming through or the personality of the home itself. But, to me, it always seems inviting and cozy.

It makes me mindful of the moment, more fully present with more of my senses focused here and now.

I also love doors that creak and drawers that squeak.

Introduction

This song was written during the first gas crisis of the 1970’s Carter administration.
I did belong to a carpool, and once again, my songwriter’s imagination took off.
But the people described in this song were at least somewhat close to the personalities I describe herein.

   The actual song itself is available only in spoken form, as requested by Philip.

When you think you are awake, you’re not. You go for a walk along a path in the woods, and you are fully awake, at least in your mind. But from a different perspective, are you awake? No you are not. You are sleeping. Why? Because your mind is full of thoughts, ideas, tasks to be done. All of these mental activities are moving at the speed of light. Your eyes are open. You look awake to the world. But you really are not.

You’re not really present. You’re far away. You’re unaware of your present world.

A frog can hop at your foot, and you won’t even see it.

Introduction

John:

Matt, what do you see what you are doing. Let’s say, if you could go into the future about 5 years from now. What would you like to have happen, with all the effort you are putting into traveling to all these cities, meeting all these people, and putting yourself out so everyone gets a chance to personally, see, feel, sense, who you are and what you are about?